This invention relates generally to equipment for surgeons and more specifically to apparatus for retaining eyeglasses or safety glasses in place during intricate procedures by surgeons.
Surgeons and other personnel who wear eyeglasses and/or safety glasses during procedures have the problem that their eyeglasses and/or safety glasses often fall from their faces, or slip toward ends of their noses, during sterile operative procedures. When this happens, it is usually difficult for these personnel to control their eyeglasses with their hands because their hands are busy, sterile and/or covered with body fluids (which may be contaminated). Quite often doctors must ask nurses to shove eyeglasses upwardly about their noses. Frequently, surgeons and their assistants secure their eyeglasses to their caps and/or foreheads with tape prior to an operation or procedure so that the eyeglasses will stay in place. However, such tape will often become moist due to perspiration and become ineffective during an operation, thereby creating all the problems mentioned above. Further, when tape becomes moist due to perspiration it and eyeglasses it is holding sometimes fall into a sterile surgical field.
It has been suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,471 to Hsu to retain eyeglasses on a surgeon by means of an elongated flexible tape-like member which attaches at an exterior of a surgeon's hood and has a hook/loop fastener (VELCRO) at an operative end thereof to extend about a bridge of eyeglasses.
Other devices for retaining eyeglasses on a surgeon's nose are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,312,338 and 4,464,797 to Glassman. A difficulty with Hsu's device is that it is attached to an outer surface of the hood by means of an adhesive and such an adhesive can become moist and ineffective during an operation. Also, because the retainer is on the outside of the hood, a surgeon using it can easily, inadvertently, pull the retainer from the hood when trying to adjust it for his eyeglasses. Further, it is difficult to adjust the position of eyeglasses therewith because the surgeon cannot see the retainer and therefore must make such adjustments by feel. Not only does the surgeon have difficulty fastening the retainer about the eyeglass nose bridge but he has trouble unfastening it as well, often tearing the retainer from the hood.
Yet another difficultly with some retainers of the type disclosed by Hsu is that retainer material therefor, which is hook and loop fastener (VELCRO) material, is rather hard and can be irritating to skin so that noses or foreheads of surgeons and their assistants are irritated by use thereof.
Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide an eyeglass retainer for surgeons and other personnel which is easy to adjust to fasten about and unfasten from eyeglass nose bridges. It is also an object of this invention to provide such an eyeglass retainer which, when it is adjusted, is not easily thereby damaged.
It is also an object of this invention to provide an eyeglass retainer which is adaptable for all head sizes.
Further, it is an object of this invention to provide such an eyeglass retainer which remains securely attached to a surgeons head during use thereof.
Further, it is an object of this invention to provide an eyeglass retainer which absorbs moisture but yet maintains its integrity during intensive use.
Finally, it is an object of this invention to provide such an eyeglass retainer which is not substantially irritating to skin of a user.